Horse, and other animal, farms often have problems preventing and managing mud formation in areas where the animals walk on soil. The presence of heavy animal traffic, rainfall, and manure on farms often coalesce into mud and remain so for all but the driest months of the year. Mud presence on farms poses a threat to the health of animals in several ways: mud is a vector for bacterial growth; hooves that stay wet for long periods of time can soften and rot causing immobility and pain; prolonged mud to skin contact can irritate skin and cause rashes, open sores, and infections; and animals may slip or misstep in mud increasing the risk of injuries.
Referring to prior art FIGS. 1-3, mud is created when animals traverse across wet soil (and manure) repeatedly. Mud is the result of displacement of saturated unstable soil from the pressure of an animal's hoof downward on a ground surface. The soil is displaced laterally creating instability and causing deep mud in situations where a soil's water-holding capacity creates an environment of moisture and instability. FIG. 1 discloses a typical animal paddock 2 where there is a build-up of wet soil 4 on ground 6. When a hooved animal, such as a horse 8, applies its weight to the wet soil 4 through its hooves 10, a downward force is applied from the hoof 10 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The downward force as the animal's hoof steps down onto the wet soil displaces the wet soil and makes the top 1-6″ surface of the soil broken and uneven. Not only is the animal (horse) working harder to move about, but the pressure and displacement of the wet soil effectively destabilizes the ground and results in the formation of mud. Lateral soil displacement resulting from the downward force applied by a hoof (shod or unshod) 12 attached to the base of the animal's hoof 10 is illustrated schematically in FIG. 3. This process is sped up by more movement, bad weather, and more animals per area. The repeated displacement of the soil kills plants and roots and also mixes in water and organic matter, such as manure. Higher organic content in the soil increases the water holding capacity. These actions result in the creation and persistence of mud on animal farms. Within a matter of days, one active horse can turn a 24 ft by 40 ft typical paddock with wet soil into 3-6 inches of deep mud in high traffic areas.
The presence of mud also makes working on the farm difficult and can result in: difficulties removing manure; struck tractors and other equipment; and reduced access to sections of the farm.